In addition to maintaining my own blog, I write for several others. Paid blogging positions are very prevalent today as the demand for quality content continues to increase. This is a great opportunity for bloggers, and your blog can even help you by serving as a portfolio for those looking to hire writers. I’ve had some great experiences and learned a lot by writing for other blogs, and I think many Daily Blog Tips readers would benefit as well.
Why Write for Other Blogs?
Income – Obviously paid writing gigs are attractive because of the financial benefits. Many bloggers are trying to earn some money each month with advertisements and/or affiliate links. Writing can easily supplement that income and make your blogging efforts more productive. The pay will obviously vary from one situation to another, but there are opportunities for bloggers at all levels.
Name Recognition – Those that do paid blogging tend to get exposure from writing on different blogs. As people see you in more and more places they’ll start to remember you as a source of information on a particular subject. Take for example Chris Garrett. Chris writes for blogs such as the Blog Herald, Copyblogger, and Blogging Tips (and more). Not only does Chris benefit financially from his writing, but thousands of readers recognize him as an authority and that carries over into anything he does.
Networking – Anytime you’re writing for another blog, paid or unpaid, it’s a great chance to network with other bloggers. Building a network is crucial, and this is one of the best ways to do it. Other blogs are looking for writers. If you can provide them with superb content that readers like, you’ll make friends very quickly.
Learning – Writing for other blogs can be a real challenge. When you write for your own blog, you decide what gets published and what doesn’t. Writing for someone else can be a little more difficult, but it will push you and help you to develop better writing skills and to gain new knowledge. When you’re being paid for an article you’ll likely have a little more motivation to do your best work, and in my opinion this is a good type of pressure that helps a blogger to improve.
Variety – If you’re only writing for your own blog you probably cover the same topics on a regular basis and you reach basically the same audience week in and week out. Writing for other blogs will give you a chance to stretch your boundaries and explore topics that interest you but just don’t fit with your blog. Additionally, you’ll reach a new audience each time you write for another blog.
During the time that I’ve been doing paid writing for other blogs I’ve learned some things that help for finding new opportunities and improve the success of the projects. Here are some tips:
1. Start Slow. Don’t take on more than you can handle. If you’re new to paid blogging you may be looking at several opportunities and tempted to take on too much at one time. Maintaining your own blog is a lot of work in an of itself. You don’t want the quality of your blog or of your paid writing to suffer, so make sure you have the time to dedicate to anything you accept. Once you get accustomed to things you can certainly add more projects as you have time.
2. Pursue the Chance to Write Free Guest Posts. I know, this article is about writing paid blog posts, but most of the time you will have to get your name out there before paid opportunities present themselves. One of the goals of writing guest posts is to build name recognition so that others will think of you when they are looking to hire a writer. Plus, you never know when submitting a guest post can lead to an offer for a paid position, it has happened to me.
3. Post Your Availability. Make it known to others that you are available for hire. Consider posting about it at your blog or submitting your information on freelance writing sites. Blogger Jobs is a great place to post some information about yourself. I posted there and received 3 inquiries in about a week. Free classified sites like Craigslist are another option.
4. Check Blogging Job Boards. There are a number of places online where people who are looking to hire bloggers can post a job ad. Blogger Jobs, the ProBlogger Job Boards, and the Blogging Tips Marketplace are all great places to find paid positions.
5. Post Regularly On Your Own Blog. If your blog is going to serve as an effective portfolio to attract new gigs, it needs to be given the proper amount of attention. Don’t neglect to build your own blog while writing for others. After all, your blog is still your asset, while writing for others will only pay you as long as you are writing for them.
6. Build Social Media Profiles. If your paid blog posts draw a lot of traffic and generate attention, you’ll be much more in demand. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to use social media to drive traffic. Once you’ve written the post the work is not always complete. If you can submit the post to social media sites (or at least vote for it), you’ll be able to increase the amount of people that see it.
7. Don’t Always Pass On Lower-Paid Opportunities. Making money is obviously one of the primary reasons for being a paid blogger. However, there may be times when a lower paying job may have more to offer than just money, such as networking with someone influential or the chance to write for a particular blog. You may not be able to afford to take these jobs all the time, but consider the big picture. I recently took a lower paying job than I would normally like because it gave me the chance to write for a blog that is pretty well known. This type of opportunity may wind up leading to other more profitable jobs.
8. Make the Rounds. Once you’ve established how much you can handle, it’s a good idea to work for several different blogs, if possible, rather than always writing for the same one. You’ll meet more people, reach more readers, and very likely find even more opportunities.
9. Look for Regular, Repeat Jobs. Although you should look for chances to write for new blogs, it’s also nice to have one (or more) consistent jobs that will be steady income for you. Looking for work takes time, so having a regular column on a blog will often be more profitable.
Does anyone else have any tips that they would like to add?
About Steven Snell
Steven Snell is web designer and blogger. He maintains the Vandelay Design Blog and has written for many other leading design blogs.
